Toon Zone Talkback - Peanuts Animator Bill Melendez Dies at 91

I think that there were a couple of new Peanuts animated specials after Charles Schulz passed away. One was about Rerun wanting a dog like Snoopy and the other one had to do with Charlie Brown facing off the camp bully in a game of marbles, or something like that. I do agree though that they didn't have that same Peanuts spark with Mr. Schulz there, but I did watch them for fun.
 
One thing I will commend those later specials for: they didn't try to think up their own material. Everything was based either on an idea that Sparky had in development or on pre-existing "Peanuts" strips. From what I understand, "He's A Bully, Charlie Brown" was the last original one that Schulz had begun outlining before his passing. Now, without any remaining storylines and without the principal director, I honestly doubt we'll see any more new "Peanuts" specials.
 
I didn't know that those later specials were based on ideas from Sparky or on some of the old strips. That does give the specials more of an honorable touch since they didn't try to do something new with Peanuts that Mr. Schulz may not have go for. It is kind of sad that they probably won't have new Peanuts specials but since Charles Schulz and Bill Melendez, two of the leading people in charge of the specials, have passed on, I think that it wouldn't be the same to make new ones without them or without any ideas that they worked on before their passings. Besides that, we can still enjoy the magic of their work in other specials and the television series.
 
Well the least they can do it make sure all the specials (all of them) end up on DVD eventually. Even minor ones like Snoopy's Getting Married, Life Is a Circus, Is This Goodbye? or Flashbeagle. I adore the older specials, but I grew up with those '80s specials.
 
Earlier in his career, Bill Melendez produced/directed Ford Motor Company animated commercials featuring the Peanuts gang, as well as openings for The Ford Show starring Tennessee Ernie Ford on NBC Thursday Night..I hav e a classic TV Blog. Cleveland (Ohio) Classic Media. In April 2008, I featured one of these Ford Show openings on my blog. The "deep" Charlie Brown Voice is that of Paul Frees:


http://clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/2008/04/peanuts-characters-on-ford-show.html
 
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